myers



(No Model.)

0. R. MYERS.

GAE COUPLING.

No. 476,401. Patented June 7, 1892.

UhliiTiiD ORLANDO R. MYERS, OF VARSAV Ostrich,

ASSIGNOR OF ZiHREEFOUR-THS TO OF HANCOCK COUNTY, liillllflOlS.

Gi ii W'TJZPU Phii ifii.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,401, dated June '7', 1892.

Application filed October 30,1891. Serial No. (E0 mmlOL) To all whom, it may cmwczn:

Be it known that I, ORLANDO R. MYERS, of lVarsaw, in the county of Hancock and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Self-Acting Safety (Jan Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertaius to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the lettors and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to couple cars of regular or irregular height by self-acting mechanism so arranged that either coupling can be used at any time as the male or female coupling and to uncouple the same from the outside of the cars on either left or right of the ends of the cars and from the tops of freightcars orthe platforms of passenger-cars in such a manner that no accident need happen. This I accomplish by using a draw-bar with a hinged head that allows the head of the dra w-barto rise or fall vertically, or nearly so, to accord to the height of draw-bar on car to be connected with; also, by use of a conical double-headed bolt so formed with its conical heads to find its socket in the hinged head of draw-bar and make its coupling joint under all circumstances. This connecting-bolt is interchangeable, and both conical heads or ends are exactly alike, so that the same connecting conical-headed bolt can be used in any of these couplings, either head of any bolt, as described, fitting every coupling. This coni calheaded connecting-bolt passes into its socket in the hinged head oithe draw-bar until the conical head passes a spring-latch, which is let into the top of the forward end of the draw-head B by means of a diagonal slot, the latch forming one side of the throat, which guides the coupling-bolt into the socket, when the latch closes on the neck of the conical-headed connecting-bolt and the coupling is made. Three levers connect with an oscillating rodone lever to the right side of the platform above drawbar. Said oscillating rod also connects through a lever to the springlatch. The operator by using either on right, left, or top of the end of car can at will unlock the coupling and detach the car.

in order to couple with any car titted with any other coupling than mine, I have provided for the use of a link-and-pin connection and furnish a carriage for holding the couplingbolt when not needed for coupling.

Figure i represents an end view of my automatic coupling as attached to the end of a frcightcar. Fig. represents alongitudinal cross horizontal sectional view of my drawhead, showing conical double-headed connecting-bolt, latch, spring, and connecting-lever. Fig. shows a vertical sectional view of my draw-head, showing socket for pin for use when coupling with link and pin. Fig. 4 shows a side view of my coupling-latch.

Reference being had to the drawings,letter A represents the drawbar with its concave and flanged head B, which is joined to the draw-bar by the hinge O. The head Bis held in a horizontal position by the coiled spring F. The draw-bar Ais attached to the car i? by passing through the section Q, having the coiled springs G G, one on each side of section Q, the coiled springs being kept in position by the key (Z, which passes through a slot in the draw-bar. The coiled spring F is held in position by being let into a chamher at the lower connecting end of the drawhead 13, its outer end pressing against the under side of the forward end of the drawbar A. This arrangement makes the coupler perfectly automatic in its action, even in coupling with cars of different heights, the springactuated pivoted draw-heads always adjusting themselves to each other and admitting the conical double-headed bolt C to pass into the flaring mouth of the draw-head I5 and allowing the conical head of the bolt 0 to enter the throat a of the socketfand to pass back to where the latch D engages it and forms the coupling.

Mounted on a vertical hinge at one side of mouth of the draw-head i3 is a latch D, pressed normally by a coiled spring E. The conical double headed oonnecting-bolt C, which I preferably use, has a round body, with a conical head at both ends, as in Fig. 2, and when this bolt is forced into the throat of the socket in draw-head B it moves the rear end of the latch D outwardly against the tension of the spring E, and after the conical head of the bolt 0 has moved beyond the rear end of the latch D the latch D flies inwardly and engages said head, as will be clearly seen from the above description and the drawings.

The uncoupling devices which I preferably use in connection with the draw-head above described are as follows: H is a rod loosely connected at its inner end to the rear end of the latch D and having a hook 2 at its outer end, which connects through an eye at the lower end of a lever I, which is pivoted at J to the end of a car and which in turn has a long slot 3 at its upper end. K is a horizontal rod mounted in eyes L L, attached to the end of the car. The slot 3 embraces this rod between two studs 4 4 thereon, so that when the rod is moved longitudinally the lever I will be operated and the rod 11 will move the latch D outwardly and disengage the connecting-bolt O. The horizontal rod K hasintegral with it the triangular yoke 5. M is the operating-lever for a brakeman standing on top of the car, and this lever slides between its ends through a staple or eye N in the end of the car. The lower end of said lever is linked to the upper end of yoke 5 at 6. Just above 6 is stop or catch 0, secured to the end of the car. The operation of this part of the device is as follows: \Vhen it is desired to uncouple the cars, the upper end of the operating-lever M is moved to the left or one of the handles 9 9 is moved to the right, whereby the upper end of the lever I is moved to the right by the studs 4 4, and its lower end draws the rod H and the latch D to the left and allows the head of the connecting-bolt O to pass out. If it is desired to retain the device in uncoupled position, the upper end of the lever M or one or the handles 9 9 is moved outwardly from the body of the car, which throws the connection 6 and the lever M inwardly toward the car and behind the catch or stop 0. The expansive force of the latch-spring E then forces the parts against the catch or stop 0, where they will remain until unlocked.

In Fig. l. e e are forks secured to the carsill, forming a carriage for the couplingbolt when not needed for coupling.

\VhileI have shown herein a device for attaching the draw-bar to a car, I do not confine myself to any particular method of making such attachment, as it will readily be seen that said attachment can be formed by any method now used, and I do not confine myself to other exact details of construction herein described, as many changes of detail could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The principal advantages derived from my invention are that by means of the hinged head to draw-bar couplings can be made be tween cars with draw-bars of unequal heights as readily as with those of equal height; that couplings are made automatically, and that uncoupling is also made without any possible danger to the operator, and then set so as to remain open, if desired, by means of my uncoupling device. I

In Fig. 3 is shown the pin-hole Z) to be used when it is desired to make a link-and-pin coupling.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. The conical double-headed connectingbolt 0, in combination with the flanged hinged draw-head B and the draw-bar A, the flanged hinged draw-head B, having a concave face and a throat to receive connectingbolt, or a connecting-link and a vertical pin hole or socket that provides for the coupling with the common link-and-pin coupling, substantially as described.

2. The latch D, in combination with the conical double-headed bolt 0, the spring E, and the hinged draw-head B, as and for the purpose described.

3. The rod H, in combination with the lever I, the vibrating lever K, and the lever M, for the purpose and substantially as described.

4. The hinged draw-head B, in combination with the draw-bar A, the conical doubleheaded bolt C, the latch D, the springE, and the spring F, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ORLANDO R. MYERS. lVitnesses:

G. P. WALKER, J ACOB SoHMrrz. 

